Progetto Sicurezza sul Lavoro: More Than This metropolitana

A new MObility REgulation THinking ANd THoroughly Innovative inSpired

CO-FINANCED BY: Liguria Region. Expenditure co-financed with resources POR FESR Liguria 2014-2020 (CUP G32C21000910007)

The idea of the MORE THAN THIS project originated during the historically significant COVID-19 health emergency but broadens its scope to the development of different and complementary research directions, with a general target of proof of concept, starting with the development and testing of a scalable people counting and flow management solution applied to the Genoa Metro with ‘asset-light’ type entrances (without traditional physical turnstiles).

The implementation of this solution is based on a multi-technology Big Data integration approach applied to stations and vehicles. It will allow control room operators to access different functions permitting them to achieve improved network resilience in the presence of anomalies on the network itself or on hierarchically superior or underlying networks in terms of geographical coverage. For this project, a Genoa Metro station (likely De Ferrari) and a set of trains will be suitably equipped. Once scaled up, this solution could support the following functionalities:

Station passenger counting & management: real-time assessment of the dynamic number of passengers within the station and in specific areas of the station (concourse, platforms, etc.) with relative queue monitoring. In this way it will be possible to monitor, optimize and manage the flow of people who have access to the platforms and trains. This is useful if the maximum occupancy number must be limited based on health, weather, or contingent overcrowding emergencies.
Onboard passenger counting & management: real-time comparison of the number of users waiting to access the train with the actual presence of passengers already on board, allowing access based on a quota to ensure a predefined number of train passengers is not exceeded (load factor), in accordance with social distancing measures that may be in place due to emergencies.
Advanced boarding management: he system will allow not only compliance with the imposed capacities but also the optimization of passenger boarding and disembarkation operations, appropriately directing them to avoid overcrowding situations in particular areas of the platform and onboard trains.
Real time alert and people flow control: the Operations Center located at Brin and station agents will be informed of any congestion situations and violations of the emergency measures put in place (social distancing, body temperature value, mask use, etc.) so that they can intervene proactively, aided by passive automatic measures.
Enhanced video surveillance: edge-based solution for continuous real-time monitoring of the correct operating conditions of the cameras (e.g. dust, condensation, shielding, etc.), prognostic maintenance of the video surveillance system based on artificial intelligence applied locally on the cameras, detection of induced alterations on the video sequences (Deep Fake Intrusion, GANs), encrypted and immutable storage of the recordings via blockchain-like technology for insurance and legal purposes.
Temperature and protective mask detection: optional control of body temperature and the possible use of protective masks (PPE), with immediate signaling, if necessary, to the flow management and people tracking system to block access and monitor their movements around the station.
User experience improvement: real-time information, via APP, could be provided to passengers on the metro service regarding timetable and congestion rate of trains and stations, so that they can better plan their journey according to their needs.
Capacity planning: potential evolution towards systems to dynamically manage the timetable/frequency of the service, compatible with the "as is" scenarios of the infrastructure and the degree of automation (GoA-2) currently implemented for the Genoa metro, which optimize in terms of effectiveness and efficiency the relationship between supply and demand for users.
Business analysis: possibility of carrying out analyses on the collected passenger traffic data for optimizing service and costs for the transport system. Estimation and dynamic updating of the origin/destination (OD) matrix in nominal and exceptional conditions such as weather or health emergencies, disruption or capacity drops due to faults or maintenance, peaks in demand due to special events (sporting or cultural events), etc.
Evaluation of the effects of management strategies for emergencies, peaks in demand, capacity drops, etc.by analyzing user choices (time change, mode change, etc.)

Smart Track’s role

Participation in the MORE THAN THIS project is strategic because it allows Smart Track to explore the transport sector, which is not currently part of its core business. Thanks to the collaboration with the other project partners and with the research bodies involved, Smart Track will be able to share its expertise in the study and development of innovative IoT solutions based on the most up-to-date technologies integrated in the project’s ecosystem platform.

It will be particularly important to analyze the state-of-the-art of the application scenario to adapt Smart Track’s patents and support the realization of the project by providing effective solutions for detecting people inside stations and trains.

This approach will make it possible to optimize the presence of users while guaranteeing a high safety standard. In this application context, Smart Track will be able to acquire new specific knowledge in the rail transport sector, enabling it to adapt the methodologies, algorithms and technological solutions it already possesses and develop new competitive approaches with possible new patents. This approach is of strategic interest to Smart Track as it allows it to increase and consolidate its offer by increasing its competitiveness both in the reference market in which it operates and in the new rail transport sector.

Through this project, Smart Track will have the opportunity to collaborate with leading companies in the sector and be able to integrate innovative methodologies in the transport sector into its know-how.

The specific research and development methodologies drawn from the project will allow Smart Track to increase its competitive advantage by consolidating its position on the national and international market. In addition to building specific know-how in the railway sector, completing the project will give Smart Track a competitive edge in offering the latest-generation IoT solutions in these new use scenarios that can be fully integrated into complex ICT platforms such as for MORE THAN THIS.